Just when you thought you were safe - that I had gone the way of 99% of the start-up blogs and given the damn thing up….I’m back…and hopefully in a more frequent, albeit somewhat different mode.
When I first started writing this thing I sort of had two rules for myself - don’t go political and don’t talk about your health (or lack thereof as the case may be). I’ve tried my best to be true to those two tenets - but shit oh dear - it’s giving me writers block to hold true to them. So be forewarned - there are likely some entries of Hendo’s Twisted Mind that are forthcoming the likes of which you’ve not seen before.
Let’s get the health thing out of the way - many of you know the details but there are many who don’t. I was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic prostate cancer almost 9 years ago. At the time the prognosis talked in terms of 18-24 months at best before I’d be answering some big time questions that we all have in one fashion or another. Obviously I have beat the odds thus far - sadly it seems the magic is wearing off and I’m running out of good medical options. But WTF - isn’t all of life a numbers game of one kind or another? I’m not going to lay down easy - that’s just not my style - but I’m also not going to grasp at treatment straws that offer little in return. I am at peace with my future and I am far more interested in quality over quantity. Seriously - do you think it’s worth it to extend your life by a certain amount of time if by doing so you are likely to be miserable for 75% of that time? I think not. So be prepared - from time to time I will likely be describing my journey as I move ever so slowly (I hope) toward Door Number Three and likely with a few observations (shocking) about health care in the USA along the way.
Politics…..sorry….I really never wanted to cross this line but I’m not going to be able to help myself. For the first time in my life I am genuinely worried about loosing some of what has always defined us as Americans - it saddens me greatly. Although I am registered as an Independent - it will come as a surprise to nobody that I generally lean Democrat. I absolutely hate how everything has become so partisan these days. I am sad that politics govern everything and doing the people's business no longer seems to matter. Compromise is seen as a weakness and we are poorer for it. We are getting the government that we deserve by virtue of what we do in the voting booth and we are getting stupider every day by limiting ourselves to Facebook memes for the “facts” upon which we base our opinions and make our decisions. God help us. So I’ll give into the urge to make my observations - if you don’t like it - too bad. Challenge me - in an informed, polite, and articulate way - I know - somewhat unfair to set the bar higher for you than I have set it for myself but too bad - as President Reagan once said - “this is my microphone, I paid for it.”
Hah - bet you don’t miss me now! Seriously - I’m not abandoning the original intent of the blog - just expanding it a little. I was beginning to feel like somewhat of a cheat when I kept trying to craft entries that avoided the realities of today. I hope you’ll hang in there - if not - it was fun while it lasted....and I do have many entries in the works that will not cross the original lines. Thanks for being patient!
peace be with you - Hendo.